Tom Brougham
Encyclopedia
Tom Brougham is a Berkeley, California
gay rights activist who was the first to suggest a new legal category for recognizing couples other than marriage and he coined the phrase domestic partnership
.
Brougham is a former member of the Gay Liberation Front
.
benefits in Berkeley after it adopted the policy in December 1984. Berkeley's policy, however, did not include a registry for residents of the city; it only granted live-in partner health benefits regardless of whether they were straight or gay.
Taken aback, Brougham decided to propose a lower-tier type of legal partnership that would afford employees' benefits to same-sex couples, coining the term "domestic partnership" in an August 1979 letter. He and Warren took the proposal to the City of Berkeley and UC Berkeley, which was Warren's employer. Harry Britt
, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
who had been appointed to succeed Harvey Milk
, was inspired by one of Brougham and Warren's presentations and took his version of the proposal to the Board. When vetoed by then-mayor Dianne Feinstein
, activism for domestic partnership benefits increased.
In 1983, the City of Berkeley took up Brougham and Warren's idea by creating the Domestic Partner Task Force
through the city's Human Rights and Welfare Commission; Leland Traiman served as the DPTF's chairperson, and Brougham contributed to the draft policy. The policy was adopted by the City Council and School Board in 1984, but the Council voted against the bill while the Board voted for it. It played a role in the electoral defeat of many members who had voted against the bill, and the solidly-pro-domestic partnership majority voted in favor of the bill in December, and Brougham and Warren were the first couple to file for domestic partnership benefits under the city's policy.
Berkeley became the third city to enact a domestic partnership registry in the state in 1990.
region of California
on April 21, 1987, when he was elected as a director of the Peralta Community College District
, and continued as a director until 2000.
Brougham is a former president of the East Bay Lesbian/Gay Democratic Club.
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
gay rights activist who was the first to suggest a new legal category for recognizing couples other than marriage and he coined the phrase domestic partnership
Domestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...
.
Brougham is a former member of the Gay Liberation Front
Gay Liberation Front
Gay Liberation Front was the name of a number of Gay Liberation groups, the first of which was formed in New York City in 1969, immediately after the Stonewall riots, in which police clashed with gay demonstrators.-The Gay Liberation Front:...
.
Domestic partnerships
Brougham and his partner Barry Warren became the first couple to register for employee domestic partnerDomestic partnership
A domestic partnership is a legal or personal relationship between two individuals who live together and share a common domestic life but are neither joined by marriage nor a civil union...
benefits in Berkeley after it adopted the policy in December 1984. Berkeley's policy, however, did not include a registry for residents of the city; it only granted live-in partner health benefits regardless of whether they were straight or gay.
Taken aback, Brougham decided to propose a lower-tier type of legal partnership that would afford employees' benefits to same-sex couples, coining the term "domestic partnership" in an August 1979 letter. He and Warren took the proposal to the City of Berkeley and UC Berkeley, which was Warren's employer. Harry Britt
Harry Britt
Harry Britt is a political activist and former Supervisor for San Francisco, California. Britt was involved during the late 1960s in the civil rights movement when he was a Methodist minister in Chicago...
, a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors is the legislative body within the government of the City and County of San Francisco, California, United States.-Government and politics:...
who had been appointed to succeed Harvey Milk
Harvey Milk
Harvey Bernard Milk was an American politician who became the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California when he won a seat on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors...
, was inspired by one of Brougham and Warren's presentations and took his version of the proposal to the Board. When vetoed by then-mayor Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein is the senior U.S. Senator from California. A member of the Democratic Party, she has served in the Senate since 1992. She also served as 38th Mayor of San Francisco from 1978 to 1988....
, activism for domestic partnership benefits increased.
In 1983, the City of Berkeley took up Brougham and Warren's idea by creating the Domestic Partner Task Force
Domestic Partner Task Force
The Domestic Partner Task Force was a governmental body established in 1983 by the Californian City of Berkeley's Human Relations and Welfare Commission to draw up the structure of the city's domestic partnership program...
through the city's Human Rights and Welfare Commission; Leland Traiman served as the DPTF's chairperson, and Brougham contributed to the draft policy. The policy was adopted by the City Council and School Board in 1984, but the Council voted against the bill while the Board voted for it. It played a role in the electoral defeat of many members who had voted against the bill, and the solidly-pro-domestic partnership majority voted in favor of the bill in December, and Brougham and Warren were the first couple to file for domestic partnership benefits under the city's policy.
Berkeley became the third city to enact a domestic partnership registry in the state in 1990.
After domestic partnerships
Later, Brougham became the first openly gay elected official in the East BayEast Bay (San Francisco Bay Area)
The East Bay is a commonly used, informal term for the lands on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay, in the San Francisco Bay Area, in California, United States...
region of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
on April 21, 1987, when he was elected as a director of the Peralta Community College District
Peralta Community College District
The Peralta Community College District is the community college district serving northern Alameda County, California. The district operates four community colleges: Berkeley City College, Laney College and Merritt College in Oakland, and College of Alameda. From 1968 to 1988, non-contiguous Plumas...
, and continued as a director until 2000.
Brougham is a former president of the East Bay Lesbian/Gay Democratic Club.